U.S. Rep. Sam Farr's (D) retirement announcement has left the field wide open for potential Democratic candidates for his congressional district seat.

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Farr is the California 20th district's longest serving member of Congress and is the ranking member on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture. Farr, who will turn 75 next year, announced he will not seek reelection in 2016 and will retire in January 2017 at the end of his current term in office.

One Republican, Casey Lucius, of Pacific Grove, has been campaigning for his seat for months but no Democrat has announced a plan to run against her

At least two Democrats have already indicated they are interested in the seat, and there's at least three more who are being talked about as potential candidates.

Carmel Mayor Jason Burnett is one of the people on the short list, and he said Thursday's announcement was no shock to him.

"I've been talking with Sam for a while, and I'm not surprised. He has served this area for a very long time," Burnett said Thursday afternoon.

Burnett has expressed interest in Farr's seat in the past, but Thursday, he said the focus needed to be on the longtime legislator.

"I would prefer to take at least a day to focus on the great accomplishments that Sam has brought. I think that, in part, because he came from local government, he knew how to get things done, in spite of the fact he was in the minority most of his time in Congress," said Burnett.

The young mayor and father of a four-year-old said there is a lot to consider before running for Congress, and his priority is being the best father and husband he can be.

One person with a similar resume to the one Burnett described has already said they're interested in running.

State Assemblyman and former Watsonville Mayor Luis Alejo (D) said there is still a lot to consider, but he is interested.

"It's very different than running for state office, but when I am terming out next year, and most of my assembly seat is nested in the congressional district, it is something I've really got to take a close look at," Alejo said.

The assemblyman said he has the utmost respect for Farr, and that he expects to announce a decision on any campaign plans in the next few weeks.

Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Jimmy Panetta, the son of Farr's predecessor in Congress, Leon Panetta, has also had his name thrown out as a potential candidate.

"Yes, obviously, the seat is something to consider, but today is about remembering Rep. Farr's accomplishments," Jimmy Panetta said Thursday.

Jimmy Panetta said before announcing a run, he would need to have a long conversation with his family and said with time would come an answer.

Two other names that have been thrown into the ring, include state Sen. Bill Monning and state Assemblyman John Laird.

Monning was out of the country Thursday and unavailable to comment, but Laird said while he is not ruling anything out, he looks forward to serving Californians at the state level.

While no Democrats have made a commitment, Lucius, the Republican candidate and Pacific Grove Councilor, said Farr's announcement came as a surprise.

"I think, in a way, it is good news. I think what we are seeing is people are ready for a change. They’re ready for a new generation of representation, but in some ways, it's also very sad, because Mr. Farr has represented this region for a long time, and today, I think that we should recognize that and really give him credit for his service to this community," Lucius said in an interview Thursday.

Lucius has been campaigning on bringing new leadership to the Central Coast, something that is certain in 2016 but just who she will be campaigning against to bring the change is still up in the air.